About

Paul Rockower has over a decade of experience in the field of communications and public diplomacy, with a vast and varied career in both the academic and practitioner domains.

Presently, Rockower works as the Site Manager for the Next Level program, the U.S. Department of State’s new hip hop diplomacy program run in partnership with the University of North Carolina’s Department of Music. In this capacity, he manages the in-country programs for Next Level in countries around the globe, running hip hop academies, outreach programs, collaboration sessions and concert performances for this cultural diplomacy exchange.

He previously worked as Director of Communications for American Voices, a nonprofit that conducts cultural diplomacy to countries in conflict. As part of his role with American Voices, Rockower oversaw the communications outreach for American Music Abroad—the U.S. Department of State’s flagship music diplomacy program.

Rockower previously served as a Press Officer for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, directing the media and public diplomacy of the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest. He has also been a Visiting Fellow at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, where he researched Taiwan’s public diplomacy outreach. In addition, Rockower worked as a public diplomacy consultant for INDIA Future of Change, a public/private initiative to conduct Indian public diplomacy- sponsored by the Public Diplomacy Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and implemented by the design and brand company The Idea Works.

As a journalist, Paul Rockower wrote the popular column, “Tales of a Wandering Jew” for the Jerusalem Post. His articles and op-eds have also appeared in the Huffington Post, Daily Beast, Korea Times, Taiwan News and Jakarta Globe, among numerous other national and international outlets. He blogs for the USC Center on Public Diplomacy and the American Security Project. He has been interviewed about public diplomacy by the BBC, NPR, Voice of America and Radio Taiwan International.

As a communications professional, Rockower has gotten stories placed on NPR, Voice of America, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch among many other regional, national and international outlets.

Rockower graduated Cum Laude from Brandeis University, with highest honors in the field of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. He holds a Master’s of Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California—a joint program between the Annenberg School for Communications & Journalism and the School for International Relations. He is a member of the Public Diplomacy Council.

Paul Rockower has international experience without compare. He has studied in Israel, the Czech Republic and Morocco. He has lived and worked in Taiwan, India, Argentina, Mexico, France and Colombia. He has traveled to over 80 countries.